Writing Athena Plays Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright - Playthrough Complete! Stay tuned for the next one...
- Thread starter Athena
- Start date
Who has the loveliest thighs on the forum??We'll need a new Hinoka, then.
Not Mitama, Rhajat
Also, you could literally give all of Hinoka's lines to Ryoma/Takumi/Sakura or remove them and the story wouldn't change a bit.
EDIT:
Xander: @Brave Vesperia
Camilla: @Camoclone
Leo: @double o squirtle
Elise: @TheFlyingPidove
Garon: @Keeper of Night
And if we had a Keeper of Day I'd nom them for Mikoto. But we don't. RIP.
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That doesn't mean I'm just going to write them out of the story.
But if we'd rather have Camo as Camilla, I can just do Hinoka as her in-game name.
Chapter 1: Foreshadowing Dreams of the Future
I'm standing in a grassy field, blue sky above and misty mountains far in the distance. By my side is a red-haired Sky Knight, a shy Shrine Maiden, and a stern Archer. They look like the Hoshidan royal family, but I can't be sure. In front of me is.... ohshi- is he attacking me?! An axe connects with my side. The enemy is pulling back for another swing when the Sky Knight pulls me out of the way.
Regardless, I have an enemy in front of me and a bronze sword in my hand. I swing in for the attack, taking another hit as I go, but I'm standing firm. To the north, my brother Brave Vesperia is fighting the Hoshidan Prince Jabberwock, and in the far corner, my other three siblings are making their way forward. But Hinoka said...
The three siblings and I calmly walked across the battlefield to visit with the two older brothers fighting to the death.
The world around me fell away as I opened my eyes in my bed in the Nothern Fortress in Nohr, my maids Flora and Felicia standing over me, with Jakob and Gunter nearby.
It wasn't long before I was dressed and ready, sword in hand, facing my brothers Brave and DoS on our rooftop training grounds. I've been training against them for several years now, but I don't really see myself making much progress. Like usual, my sword just dings off Brave's armour and a single swing of his sword knocks me against the wall, sword falling out of my hand.
Sword in hand, I rush forward, and manage to score a hit, my first hit! Of course, Brave countered and nailed me a bad one too, and I flinched backwards from the blow.
I turn around and run back to the healing spot to recover some HP, then return on the offensive. Another couple more hits and I manage to score my first level AND score a knock-out against Brave. Even though I'm pretty sure he let me win, it still counts in my book.
<Hinoka> WTF is up with you, Athena? You totally should have dodged that. He's got, what, 30% hit on you or so?
<Athena> I, umm... I'm sorry.
<Hinoka> Don't worry so much, you have your siblings at your side! Those Nohrian scum don't stand a chance again us!
<Athena> I am so confused right now... :<
<Athena> I, umm... I'm sorry.
<Hinoka> Don't worry so much, you have your siblings at your side! Those Nohrian scum don't stand a chance again us!
<Athena> I am so confused right now... :<
Regardless, I have an enemy in front of me and a bronze sword in my hand. I swing in for the attack, taking another hit as I go, but I'm standing firm. To the north, my brother Brave Vesperia is fighting the Hoshidan Prince Jabberwock, and in the far corner, my other three siblings are making their way forward. But Hinoka said...
<Xerneas> Ugh, I see that someone activated a Dragon Vein. The Nohrian royals must be nearby.
<Hinoka> Stay focused, Athena, you got this!
<Athena> Well, that is...
<Hinoka> Ohshi- reinforcements are coming! I'mma fly out to meet then. Xerneas, Skyleaf, stay here and protect Athena.
<Skyleaf> Y-Yes, I'll help out however I can. I think I, um, I think I can real Athena... *rod!*
<Xerneas> I guess I get to be in charge then... >:3 I'mma shoot that guy! *yumi!*
<Athena> I guess I can finish him off...
<Skyleaf> Yay! We won!
<Athena> But everyone else is still fighting... o_o;
<Hinoka> Oh well, let's go see how Jabber is doing.
<Hinoka> Stay focused, Athena, you got this!
<Athena> Well, that is...
<Hinoka> Ohshi- reinforcements are coming! I'mma fly out to meet then. Xerneas, Skyleaf, stay here and protect Athena.
<Skyleaf> Y-Yes, I'll help out however I can. I think I, um, I think I can real Athena... *rod!*
<Xerneas> I guess I get to be in charge then... >:3 I'mma shoot that guy! *yumi!*
<Athena> I guess I can finish him off...
<Skyleaf> Yay! We won!
<Athena> But everyone else is still fighting... o_o;
<Hinoka> Oh well, let's go see how Jabber is doing.
The three siblings and I calmly walked across the battlefield to visit with the two older brothers fighting to the death.
<Jabber> Oh, hey Hinoka, 'sup?
<Hinoka> Eh, nm. How's the battle going?
<Jabber> S'ok. I think I got this.
<Brave> Athena! It's so good to see you.
<Athena> Yeah, I've got no idea what's going on right now.
<Brave> Your other siblings and I have come to take you home! Come with us. :3
<Jabber> Oh, really now? That's funny, because I'm p sure that Princess Athena of Hoshido is in fact MY sister.
<Brave> Oh no you didn't. >:O
<Jabber> Oh yes I did. >:3
<Camo> *flies up* Athena, I was so worried for you. <3 <3
<Xerneas> No way, you guys get out of here, you filthy scum. We're not letting you kidnap our sister again!
<Pidove> No way! Athena is my sister... :<
<???> No way, Athena needs to wake up!
<Athena> Huh? o_o;
<???> Come on, wake up.
<Hinoka> Eh, nm. How's the battle going?
<Jabber> S'ok. I think I got this.
<Brave> Athena! It's so good to see you.
<Athena> Yeah, I've got no idea what's going on right now.
<Brave> Your other siblings and I have come to take you home! Come with us. :3
<Jabber> Oh, really now? That's funny, because I'm p sure that Princess Athena of Hoshido is in fact MY sister.
<Brave> Oh no you didn't. >:O
<Jabber> Oh yes I did. >:3
<Camo> *flies up* Athena, I was so worried for you. <3 <3
<Xerneas> No way, you guys get out of here, you filthy scum. We're not letting you kidnap our sister again!
<Pidove> No way! Athena is my sister... :<
<???> No way, Athena needs to wake up!
<Athena> Huh? o_o;
<???> Come on, wake up.
The world around me fell away as I opened my eyes in my bed in the Nothern Fortress in Nohr, my maids Flora and Felicia standing over me, with Jakob and Gunter nearby.
<Felicia> Come on, up and at 'em! :3
<Athena> Oh, geez, I was having such a weird dream...
<Jakob> Oooh, what was it?
<Athena> The Hoshidan royal family was there making me fight these guys, and they kept calling me there sister, and there was a big battle with Brave fighting against Jabber, and there was a purple dragon that showed up, and...
<Gunter> While I'm sure it's fascinating, you're going to be late for your match again Brave if you jabber on much more. Come on, let's get you into your armour.
<Athena> Are you sure I can't have another 5 minutes...?
<Flora> *sparkles ice hands*
<Athena> Alright, fine, I'm up, I'm up. >_>
<Athena> Oh, geez, I was having such a weird dream...
<Jakob> Oooh, what was it?
<Athena> The Hoshidan royal family was there making me fight these guys, and they kept calling me there sister, and there was a big battle with Brave fighting against Jabber, and there was a purple dragon that showed up, and...
<Gunter> While I'm sure it's fascinating, you're going to be late for your match again Brave if you jabber on much more. Come on, let's get you into your armour.
<Athena> Are you sure I can't have another 5 minutes...?
<Flora> *sparkles ice hands*
<Athena> Alright, fine, I'm up, I'm up. >_>
It wasn't long before I was dressed and ready, sword in hand, facing my brothers Brave and DoS on our rooftop training grounds. I've been training against them for several years now, but I don't really see myself making much progress. Like usual, my sword just dings off Brave's armour and a single swing of his sword knocks me against the wall, sword falling out of my hand.
<DoS> Jeez, Athena, you're really not improving at all, are you?
<Athena> To be fair, Brave's already promoted and comes with amazing bases.
<Brave> Come on, that's just an excuse! You've been training for ages now, and you still can't land a single point of damage on me? King Keeper's never going to let you leave the Northern Fortress at this rate. He's been keeping an eye on our battles, you know...
<Athena> Alright, alright. Let's stop the scripted battle and move to the real gameplay section of this chapter so I can take another chance at it.
<Brave> Good! Come at me like you mean it!
<Athena> To be fair, Brave's already promoted and comes with amazing bases.
<Brave> Come on, that's just an excuse! You've been training for ages now, and you still can't land a single point of damage on me? King Keeper's never going to let you leave the Northern Fortress at this rate. He's been keeping an eye on our battles, you know...
<Athena> Alright, alright. Let's stop the scripted battle and move to the real gameplay section of this chapter so I can take another chance at it.
<Brave> Good! Come at me like you mean it!
Sword in hand, I rush forward, and manage to score a hit, my first hit! Of course, Brave countered and nailed me a bad one too, and I flinched backwards from the blow.
<Brave> Oh, yeah, you don't have any vulns yet, whoops. Here, lemme whip up a Dragon Vein to heal you.
<Athena> Oh sweet, you can do that here?
<DoS> You didn't know? Lol. You can use Dragon Veins too, you know.
<Athena> Yeah, yeah, I know, dragon blood runs through the veins of all the royals to make us special and fancy, blah blah blah.
<Brave> Go heal your wounds and come back.
<Athena> What, you're not going to heal yourself too?
<Brave> If I did, this battle would never be over, and I want you to win so we can move on with the story.
<Athena> Fair enough.
<Athena> Oh sweet, you can do that here?
<DoS> You didn't know? Lol. You can use Dragon Veins too, you know.
<Athena> Yeah, yeah, I know, dragon blood runs through the veins of all the royals to make us special and fancy, blah blah blah.
<Brave> Go heal your wounds and come back.
<Athena> What, you're not going to heal yourself too?
<Brave> If I did, this battle would never be over, and I want you to win so we can move on with the story.
<Athena> Fair enough.
I turn around and run back to the healing spot to recover some HP, then return on the offensive. Another couple more hits and I manage to score my first level AND score a knock-out against Brave. Even though I'm pretty sure he let me win, it still counts in my book.
<Brave> Well done, Athena! Soon, you'll be the strongest warrior in all of Nohr!
<Athena> Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?
<Brave> I'm not teasing you; I really do think you have a lot of potential. You're the main character, after all, aren't you?
<Athena> Fair enough.
<DoS> It's just a shame you went with that -Mag bane, though. Magic and smarts are just as important for being an awesome person, you know.
<Athena> Well, when I need magic, I'll turn to you. By the way, your collar is inside out again. >_>
<DoS> @#$&(*()%
<Brave> lolololololol
<Camo> Athena! Did you get hurt during practice at all, my dear? <3
<Athena> Camo! Pidove! You guys are here, too?
<Pidove> Of course, we wanted to visit! After all, you're stuck in this dreary old place by yourself all the time.
<Camo> Yes, losing your memory and being forced into a quarantine in a secluded fortress is just as boring as it is a stupid plot device that serves little purpose.
<Athena> Awww, you guys are all so awesome. <3
<Brave> We have some good news for you, too.
<Athena> Oh? :O
<Camo> Now that the game has finally started, your quarantine has been released! Father has asked us to bring you to the capital!
<Athena> Yay!
<Lilith> I'm happy for you too! Gunter said I could come along to help you out with the horses.
<Athena> Oh yes, I'm glad you're coming along too, my plot device friend! <3
<Gunter> Basically we're all going... except for Flora and Felicia who will stay here to watch over the fortress.
<Felicia> Oh, lame. :<
<Athena> Well, uh, you guys have fun here, I guess. >_>
<Brave> On to the capital!
<Athena> Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?
<Brave> I'm not teasing you; I really do think you have a lot of potential. You're the main character, after all, aren't you?
<Athena> Fair enough.
<DoS> It's just a shame you went with that -Mag bane, though. Magic and smarts are just as important for being an awesome person, you know.
<Athena> Well, when I need magic, I'll turn to you. By the way, your collar is inside out again. >_>
<DoS> @#$&(*()%
<Brave> lolololololol
<Camo> Athena! Did you get hurt during practice at all, my dear? <3
<Athena> Camo! Pidove! You guys are here, too?
<Pidove> Of course, we wanted to visit! After all, you're stuck in this dreary old place by yourself all the time.
<Camo> Yes, losing your memory and being forced into a quarantine in a secluded fortress is just as boring as it is a stupid plot device that serves little purpose.
<Athena> Awww, you guys are all so awesome. <3
<Brave> We have some good news for you, too.
<Athena> Oh? :O
<Camo> Now that the game has finally started, your quarantine has been released! Father has asked us to bring you to the capital!
<Athena> Yay!
<Lilith> I'm happy for you too!
Gunter said I could come along to help you out with the horses.<Athena> Oh yes, I'm glad you're coming along too, my plot device friend! <3
<Gunter> Basically we're all going... except for Flora and Felicia who will stay here to watch over the fortress.
<Felicia> Oh, lame. :<
<Athena> Well, uh, you guys have fun here, I guess. >_>
<Brave> On to the capital!
Current Team:
Athena - Lv. 2 Nohr Princess
Decisions:
N/A. We won't really have access to anything until after the route split.
Player Notes:
Hurray, we've finally begun! Let's take a look at our avatar:
Awww, isn't she a cutey. <3 I made her birthday the 21st so we can get her birthday goodies as soon as we get My Castle access after Chapter 6. +Str/-Mag boon/bane basically looks like we made a Berserker. Outlaw talent provides some good skills and should be fun.
The opening chapters of Fates go by pretty quickly. In fact, there's no real good way to separate the Prologue and the first chapter, so I did them both together in one. Took my more time to write up the basic plot than it did to actually play. I even restarted once because Athena got a really awful level-up the first time, but it only took a couple minutes to catch back up.
The prologue chapter always feels very weird to me because it's very heavy foreshadowing and it just comes across as artificial and awkward. I'm not sure what the point of it is. Chapter 1 Brave's stats are lolworthy, but I guess they would have to be in order for Athena to actually accomplish anything. I just mentally write it off as him letting her win and purposefully letting his guard down which is reflected in his lower stats.
Athena being literally locked in a tower as a result of amnesia is one of the more bullshit plot devices in this game, especially because it doesn't really matter except as an excuse to explain why she doesn't know anything about the world, opening the door to spoonfed world building that is mentioned and them summarily forgotten. Everyone shits on Fates's plot, but honestly I don't think the story is that bad, it's just proper world-building/narrative that's sorely lacking.
Anyway, we're starting off kind of slow as usual, though at least the next chapter is actually the first one that feels like a proper prologue chapter.
I might end up doubling up some of the next coming "intro" chapters too, if no one has any objections, since they're still fairly basic and short. If you have any opinions on this one way or the other, feel free to chime in.
And of course, thank you for reading! <3
Birthright and Revelation have okay plots, but Conquest is the story that most people dislike because...
The Nohr Royals don't do anything to stop Garon after they know that he's evil and are forced to follow him for half the plot.
To me, that falls under the context of poor narrative. I can see a lot of legitimate reasons for the siblings' generic Garon-serving actions*, and it's hinted that they often twist his orders and do things to suit their own purposes and undermine his more violent tendencies (like Leo teleporting Rinka and Kaze in the opening chapters instead of killing them), but sloppy storytelling makes the situation seem much more dumb and black/white than it is.
(* - Though I do find it funny that it's very rarely actually said what any of them actual are doing before they join up with Corrin's army. "Oh, I finished my mission, so I'm here now, yay!")
(* - Though I do find it funny that it's very rarely actually said what any of them actual are doing before they join up with Corrin's army. "Oh, I finished my mission, so I'm here now, yay!")
It's actually one of the main reasons why I've been kicking around a Conquest/Revelation fanfic in my head. There's a lot of cool and interesting potential in the story that just needs to be expanded and polished.
It actually is! It's her box promo from S2, which happens to be my favourite Cipher art of Hoshido F!Corrin.
It actually is! It's her box promo from S2, which happens to be my favourite Cipher art of Hoshido F!Corrin.
Lol, then it's like a Pokemon card that has Sugimori's art...
"That" art/image of F!Corrin is from the promotional art for the game. That's what I meant: it wasn't "original" Cypher Art... (although it was funny that the promotional art turned into a card... xD)
Lol, then it's like a Pokemon card that has Sugimori's art...
Yeah, the character art is the same, but the background/composition is unique. The box promo cards always use the official art for characters. I just don't care very much for the other Cipher art of Hoshido!F!Corrin; maybe the 3DSLL promo card but that's not even out yet, so there's no good images, just the sample and it's too small.
Chapter 2 & 3: Magical Fish Dragon Plot Device, woo!
Together, my siblings, retainers, and I made the trek south to Windmire, Nohr's capital. The city is surrounded by multiple, interlacing circular walls surrounding a giant pit that holds my family's ancestral home: Castel Krakenburg. Inside, I was quickly presented to King Keeper, my father, the ruler of Nohr, a man I had not seen in a long time.
Sure enough, a contingent of Hoshidan soldiers was brought out to face us. Most of them were kind of generic, soldiery guys, but there was also a tan chick with killer abs and a ninja who really loves the colour green.
<Keeper> I kept a few prisoners from our most recent battle with Hoshido. I'd like to see you kill them. :3
<Rinkah> I am Rinkah, daughter of the Flame Tribe! >:|
<Athena> Oh, hey, I'm Athena. It's nice to... uh... never mind. >_>
<bbninjas> Athena...? Could it be...?
<Athena> Do I know you? o_o;
<BB> Oh, uh, no. I'm bbninjas, but you can call me BB while we fight. :3
<Athena> Um, sure, why not.
<Keeper> Less chatty, more fighty. >:|
<Athena> Right, I'm on it.
<Jakob> Yay, battle! Gunter and I will help.
As the battle screen began, my eyes were drawn to the presence of a bright green Dragon Vein in front of us. It was kind of hard to miss. I tapped into its power, revealing a healing tile where we would be able to hang out and ambush the enemies as they came to us. Why they actually came to us to fight instead of trying to escape or whatever is anyone's guess, but hey, I don't judge.
Jakob, Gunter, and I took position inside the fort and I easily took out Rinkah and the soldiers around her early on. BB and the others snuck inside leading to a slower battle of attrition that ended up with BB suiciding on Jakob and the others falling to my blade. Within a few rounds, the battle was done.
<Athena> So that's a battle, eh? Kinda fun. Good fight you guys. :3
<Keeper> Are you just going to stand there and congratulate yourself? You're supposed to kill them! Finish them off!
<Athena> Wait, really? I thought you just wanted me to prove how sweet I am in battle. Look, they're all wiped out and stuff. That's good enough, isn't it?
<Keeper> No it bloody well isn't. >_<
<Athena> Well, I'm not just going to kill them. I mean, the faceless soldiers, sure, they don't even have names and unique models. But Rinkah and BB? Nah.
<Keeper> YOU DARE DEFY ME?!
<Athena> Well, yeah, duh, I'm the main character. Slaughtering helpless prisoners isn't really my bag.
<Keeper> I guess I'll just have to do it myself...
<Athena> No way! *jumps in front*
<Pidove> Athena! :O
<Brave> facepalm.jpg
<Keeper> Why you little.... >_<
<Brave> Look, dad, forgive her please, she doesn't understand...
<Keeper> Fine. You kill the prisoners, and anyone else who stands in your way. KILL THEM ALL.
<Brave> *sigh* Please, Athena, if you could, um, move to the side a little...
<Athena> Really, Brave?
<Brave> Geez, come on, they're our sworn enemies.
<Athena> I don't care! It's not like they can fight anymore. Would a bit of mercy kill you?
<DoS> *sigh* Fine, I'll take care of it. *magics!* There, Father, they're taken care of.
<Keeper> *grumbles* *leaves*
<Athena> DoS, how could you? ;~;
<DoS> Look, don't worry, they're not dead, I just teleported them outside using, um, magical teleporting magic that I only have access to at certain plot critical points in the story.
<Athena> Oh, yay. :3
<Brave> Athena, geez, you almost got yourself killed. You need to start thinking a bit. -_-;
<Athena> What do you think I am, some kind of anti-hero? Of course I'm not going to slaughter people; I'm the main character!! Everything will work out.
<Brave> Ummm... if you say so.
<DoS> Anyway, let's go take care of the prisoners.
We marched outside to a large bridge where the prisoners were calmly waiting for us for some reason. I guess they wanted to say goodbye, how sweet. <3
I ran to my room to grab my stuff and the sibs all met me on the way out.
Jakob, Gunter, Hans and I made the trek to the fort that King Keeper wanted check out. It feels like we go there in no time at all, and soon we were trekking across a splintered bridge over a very, very, very long drop.
I jumped onto Gunter's horse and rode forward into the fray, Jakob jogging to keep up. If we were going to have a fight, I figured I might as well get as much exp as possible instead of letting that scumbag Hans steal it all. The Hoshidans quickly moved to secure the most Northern bridge, but I didn't care about that path; my job was to check out the building, not to kill everyone. I left Hans to deal with the block on his own while Gunter, Jakob, and I rode south to check for Dragon Veins that I could use to create another crossing point.
Once the bridge was made, Gunter and I rode across, killing dudes as we went. Jakob ran behind, healing as necessary. We were about to tackle the boss when a bunch of reinforcement Sky Knights flew in from the south. I took care of one and the others suicided on Jakob. With them done, we were finally able to move onto the boss, a Ninja armed with shuriken. It took a few rounds to hit him, but eventually Jakob and I managed to take him down. After one final heal, I moved forward to cap the point and end the level.
Gunter and I raced back across the stone bridge I made then up north to the first wooden bridge that we crossed on our way in. Standing in our path, however, was someone that I... admittedly kinda forgot about it.
Rage and sadness poured through my body causing me to start spouting dragon appendages.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I was safe... and then my sword flipped out and I somehow ended up falling into the chasm anyway. PLOT TWIST.
And then Lilith turned into a fish dragon and saved me. Somehow.
And then we were teleported to a parallel world.
And then we teleported back on top of the bridge. I looked around to see if I could spot Jakob or my siblings, but before I could turn my head...
<???> You're mine, Nohrian scum! *smack*
<Athena> *faints*
<Keeper> 'Sup, Athena?
<Athena> Oh, nm. 'Sup, Keeper?
<Keeper> Is that anyway to talk to your father and king, you insolent wench?
<Athena> ... sorry, sir. >_>;;;
<Keeper> Eh, it's cool. I heard you're turning into a pretty sweet warrior now. Gained your first level and everything!
<Athena> Yes, sir. Everything but Res.
<Keeper> Ooooh, very nice. Yes, indeed, it's time for you to leave that dreary fortress and start contributing to the war effort.
<Athena> Hurray! \o/
<Keeper> But first, some exposition.
<Athena> Awww... :<
<Keeper> As you know, the valiant soldiers of Nohr are currently fighting a war against the dirty scumbags of Hoshido over to the east. You see, the Nohrian Royal Family are descendants of the Ancient Dragon Gods, and therefore we're mad powerful, yo. It's our divine right to conquer and destroy anyone that stands in our way. Once you learn to harness the power of your dragon blood, nothing can stand in your way! Brave, Camo, DoS, and Pidove have all shown that they have the power to use these gifts. Now I expect the same from you.
<Athena> Oh, yeah, you mean the dragon veins and stuff, right?
<Keeper> That's part of it, but fighting expertise and skill is also very important. That dinky Bronze Sword you have there just isn't going to cut it. Here, take this instead. *tosses sword*
<Athena> Ooooh, shiny. :O
<Keeper> That's Ganglari. You know it's a cool sword because it has a name. It has other-worldly magic or some crap imbued into it. Anyway, it's better than that stick you're carrying around now.
<Athena> Awww, thanks. :3
<Keeper> And now you shall put it to use. Bring out the prisoners!
<Athena> Wait, what. o_o;
<Athena> Oh, nm. 'Sup, Keeper?
<Keeper> Is that anyway to talk to your father and king, you insolent wench?
<Athena> ... sorry, sir. >_>;;;
<Keeper> Eh, it's cool. I heard you're turning into a pretty sweet warrior now. Gained your first level and everything!
<Athena> Yes, sir. Everything but Res.
<Keeper> Ooooh, very nice. Yes, indeed, it's time for you to leave that dreary fortress and start contributing to the war effort.
<Athena> Hurray! \o/
<Keeper> But first, some exposition.
<Athena> Awww... :<
<Keeper> As you know, the valiant soldiers of Nohr are currently fighting a war against the dirty scumbags of Hoshido over to the east. You see, the Nohrian Royal Family are descendants of the Ancient Dragon Gods, and therefore we're mad powerful, yo. It's our divine right to conquer and destroy anyone that stands in our way. Once you learn to harness the power of your dragon blood, nothing can stand in your way! Brave, Camo, DoS, and Pidove have all shown that they have the power to use these gifts. Now I expect the same from you.
<Athena> Oh, yeah, you mean the dragon veins and stuff, right?
<Keeper> That's part of it, but fighting expertise and skill is also very important. That dinky Bronze Sword you have there just isn't going to cut it. Here, take this instead. *tosses sword*
<Athena> Ooooh, shiny. :O
<Keeper> That's Ganglari. You know it's a cool sword because it has a name. It has other-worldly magic or some crap imbued into it. Anyway, it's better than that stick you're carrying around now.
<Athena> Awww, thanks. :3
<Keeper> And now you shall put it to use. Bring out the prisoners!
<Athena> Wait, what. o_o;
Sure enough, a contingent of Hoshidan soldiers was brought out to face us. Most of them were kind of generic, soldiery guys, but there was also a tan chick with killer abs and a ninja who really loves the colour green.
<Keeper> I kept a few prisoners from our most recent battle with Hoshido. I'd like to see you kill them. :3
<Rinkah> I am Rinkah, daughter of the Flame Tribe! >:|
<Athena> Oh, hey, I'm Athena. It's nice to... uh... never mind. >_>
<bbninjas> Athena...? Could it be...?
<Athena> Do I know you? o_o;
<BB> Oh, uh, no. I'm bbninjas, but you can call me BB while we fight. :3
<Athena> Um, sure, why not.
<Keeper> Less chatty, more fighty. >:|
<Athena> Right, I'm on it.
<Jakob> Yay, battle! Gunter and I will help.
As the battle screen began, my eyes were drawn to the presence of a bright green Dragon Vein in front of us. It was kind of hard to miss. I tapped into its power, revealing a healing tile where we would be able to hang out and ambush the enemies as they came to us. Why they actually came to us to fight instead of trying to escape or whatever is anyone's guess, but hey, I don't judge.
Jakob, Gunter, and I took position inside the fort and I easily took out Rinkah and the soldiers around her early on. BB and the others snuck inside leading to a slower battle of attrition that ended up with BB suiciding on Jakob and the others falling to my blade. Within a few rounds, the battle was done.
<Athena> So that's a battle, eh? Kinda fun. Good fight you guys. :3
<Keeper> Are you just going to stand there and congratulate yourself? You're supposed to kill them! Finish them off!
<Athena> Wait, really? I thought you just wanted me to prove how sweet I am in battle. Look, they're all wiped out and stuff. That's good enough, isn't it?
<Keeper> No it bloody well isn't. >_<
<Athena> Well, I'm not just going to kill them. I mean, the faceless soldiers, sure, they don't even have names and unique models. But Rinkah and BB? Nah.
<Keeper> YOU DARE DEFY ME?!
<Athena> Well, yeah, duh, I'm the main character. Slaughtering helpless prisoners isn't really my bag.
<Keeper> I guess I'll just have to do it myself...
<Athena> No way! *jumps in front*
<Pidove> Athena! :O
<Brave> facepalm.jpg
<Keeper> Why you little.... >_<
<Brave> Look, dad, forgive her please, she doesn't understand...
<Keeper> Fine. You kill the prisoners, and anyone else who stands in your way. KILL THEM ALL.
<Brave> *sigh* Please, Athena, if you could, um, move to the side a little...
<Athena> Really, Brave?
<Brave> Geez, come on, they're our sworn enemies.
<Athena> I don't care! It's not like they can fight anymore. Would a bit of mercy kill you?
<DoS> *sigh* Fine, I'll take care of it. *magics!* There, Father, they're taken care of.
<Keeper> *grumbles* *leaves*
<Athena> DoS, how could you? ;~;
<DoS> Look, don't worry, they're not dead, I just teleported them outside using, um, magical teleporting magic that I only have access to at certain plot critical points in the story.
<Athena> Oh, yay. :3
<Brave> Athena, geez, you almost got yourself killed. You need to start thinking a bit. -_-;
<Athena> What do you think I am, some kind of anti-hero? Of course I'm not going to slaughter people; I'm the main character!! Everything will work out.
<Brave> Ummm... if you say so.
<DoS> Anyway, let's go take care of the prisoners.
We marched outside to a large bridge where the prisoners were calmly waiting for us for some reason. I guess they wanted to say goodbye, how sweet. <3
<BB> Well, thanks for not killing us, I guess. Time to get going while the going is good. *disappears*
<Rinkah> When we meet again, Athena, you will pay for this humiliation. >:|
<Athena> Are you sure we can't, you know, be friends?
<Rinkah> ahahahahahahahaha no. *flees*
<Athena> Geex, what a (*$&^.
<Pidove> So, um, Athena... I don't think it's a good idea to let father stay mad at you. Let's go apologize, okay? I'll bring my smilie face and there's no way he'll stay mad! ^_^
<Athena> I guess it's can't hurt...
<Pidove> Yay! Last I saw, he was heading to the throne room, so let's go talk to him there. ^_^
<Keeper> *inside the throne room* BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!
<Athena> Is he drunk or something? o_o;
<Pidove> No, I think he's just--
<Keeper> WHO'S THERE?
<Pidove> It's me and Athena! We came to apologize. ^_^
<Keeper> Fine, whatever, come in.
<Athena> Look, um, I wanted to--
<Keeper> You're sorry, I get it, you didn't mean to piss me off and now you're afraid I'll kill you in your sleep.
<Athena> Well, umm...
<Keeper> Since you're my kid and all, I'm willing to forgive you. This time. But you'll need to perform a mission to make it up to me. Succeed, and I'll forgive you completely and we'll never speak of it again.
<Athena> Sweet! What's the mission?
<Keeper> There's an abandoned fort near the border with Hoshido. I'm thinking of turning it into a base, and I want to know if the building and area are serviceable, so you need to go inspect it for me. Since it's abandoned, you shouldn't need to fight anyone and taint your dainty fingers with more blood.
<Athena> This seems very easy, almost too easy...
<Keeper> Are you saying you're not going to do it?
<Athena> No, I definitely will. Thank you for the opportunity! I'll leave right away.
<Pidove> Hurray! That was easy. ^_^
<Rinkah> When we meet again, Athena, you will pay for this humiliation. >:|
<Athena> Are you sure we can't, you know, be friends?
<Rinkah> ahahahahahahahaha no. *flees*
<Athena> Geex, what a (*$&^.
<Pidove> So, um, Athena... I don't think it's a good idea to let father stay mad at you. Let's go apologize, okay? I'll bring my smilie face and there's no way he'll stay mad! ^_^
<Athena> I guess it's can't hurt...
<Pidove> Yay! Last I saw, he was heading to the throne room, so let's go talk to him there. ^_^
<Keeper> *inside the throne room* BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!
<Athena> Is he drunk or something? o_o;
<Pidove> No, I think he's just--
<Keeper> WHO'S THERE?
<Pidove> It's me and Athena! We came to apologize. ^_^
<Keeper> Fine, whatever, come in.
<Athena> Look, um, I wanted to--
<Keeper> You're sorry, I get it, you didn't mean to piss me off and now you're afraid I'll kill you in your sleep.
<Athena> Well, umm...
<Keeper> Since you're my kid and all, I'm willing to forgive you. This time. But you'll need to perform a mission to make it up to me. Succeed, and I'll forgive you completely and we'll never speak of it again.
<Athena> Sweet! What's the mission?
<Keeper> There's an abandoned fort near the border with Hoshido. I'm thinking of turning it into a base, and I want to know if the building and area are serviceable, so you need to go inspect it for me. Since it's abandoned, you shouldn't need to fight anyone and taint your dainty fingers with more blood.
<Athena> This seems very easy, almost too easy...
<Keeper> Are you saying you're not going to do it?
<Athena> No, I definitely will. Thank you for the opportunity! I'll leave right away.
<Pidove> Hurray! That was easy. ^_^
I ran to my room to grab my stuff and the sibs all met me on the way out.
<DoS> I don't know if I trust this... it seems to easy...
<Athena> Yeah, that's what I said. >_>
<Camo> Well, we'll just have to come with and make sure no harm comes to our sweetie pie Athena. <3
<Iago> Nope. It's against the rules. Athena has to go by herself as a test. Oh, I guess the butler and the Jeigan can go too.
<Camo> Oh, poo. :<
<Athena> Don't worry, Camo, I'll be fine.
<Keeper> *strolls in* You'll also be accompanied by Hans, this totally not-shady guy over here with the evil-looking face and the skulls all over his clothes and stuff.
<Hans> Hi! *waves* >:3
<Brave> *whispers to Athena* I wouldn't trust that guy if I were you.
<Athena> No, really. *rolls eyes* Anybutts, we're out, brb.
<Camo> *waves and blows kisses*
<Athena> Yeah, that's what I said. >_>
<Camo> Well, we'll just have to come with and make sure no harm comes to our sweetie pie Athena. <3
<Iago> Nope. It's against the rules. Athena has to go by herself as a test. Oh, I guess the butler and the Jeigan can go too.
<Camo> Oh, poo. :<
<Athena> Don't worry, Camo, I'll be fine.
<Keeper> *strolls in* You'll also be accompanied by Hans, this totally not-shady guy over here with the evil-looking face and the skulls all over his clothes and stuff.
<Hans> Hi! *waves* >:3
<Brave> *whispers to Athena* I wouldn't trust that guy if I were you.
<Athena> No, really. *rolls eyes* Anybutts, we're out, brb.
<Camo> *waves and blows kisses*
Jakob, Gunter, Hans and I made the trek to the fort that King Keeper wanted check out. It feels like we go there in no time at all, and soon we were trekking across a splintered bridge over a very, very, very long drop.
<Athena> This is the Bottomless Canyon, isn't it? The border between Nohr and Hoshido?
<Gunter> Yup. Kind weird, isn't it?
<Athena> I dunno, I think it's kind of nice with all that lightning flashing and the darkness and the creepy music and all. Are we close?
<Gunter> The building the King wanted us to check out is right over there. *points*
<Athena> *looks* Huh, I see some red units over there.
<Gunter> Damnit, I guess the fort wasn't as abandoned as Keeper thought.
<HoshidanSoldier> Stop there, Nohrian scum! If you cross that bridge, you'll be violating the border treaty, section 17.2C! Under the terms of engagement, we'll be forced to attack!
<Athena> Never thought we'd be fighting Hoshidan bureaucrats.
<Jakob> Oh, how irksome. :\
<Athena> We're not here to fight, just to reconnoiter. I guess we ought to turn back and tell father what we learned.
<Hans> Nope.jpg! *runs forward and attacks Hoshidan dude*
<HoshidanDude> Wah! x_x;
<Athena> Hans, what are you doing? >_<
<Hans> Killing Hoshidan scum, obvs. :U
<HoshidanSoldier> Men, attack!
<Hans> Hurray!
<Gunter> Welp, I guess we get a fight after all.
<Gunter> Yup. Kind weird, isn't it?
<Athena> I dunno, I think it's kind of nice with all that lightning flashing and the darkness and the creepy music and all. Are we close?
<Gunter> The building the King wanted us to check out is right over there. *points*
<Athena> *looks* Huh, I see some red units over there.
<Gunter> Damnit, I guess the fort wasn't as abandoned as Keeper thought.
<HoshidanSoldier> Stop there, Nohrian scum! If you cross that bridge, you'll be violating the border treaty, section 17.2C! Under the terms of engagement, we'll be forced to attack!
<Athena> Never thought we'd be fighting Hoshidan bureaucrats.
<Jakob> Oh, how irksome. :\
<Athena> We're not here to fight, just to reconnoiter. I guess we ought to turn back and tell father what we learned.
<Hans> Nope.jpg! *runs forward and attacks Hoshidan dude*
<HoshidanDude> Wah! x_x;
<Athena> Hans, what are you doing? >_<
<Hans> Killing Hoshidan scum, obvs. :U
<HoshidanSoldier> Men, attack!
<Hans> Hurray!
<Gunter> Welp, I guess we get a fight after all.
I jumped onto Gunter's horse and rode forward into the fray, Jakob jogging to keep up. If we were going to have a fight, I figured I might as well get as much exp as possible instead of letting that scumbag Hans steal it all. The Hoshidans quickly moved to secure the most Northern bridge, but I didn't care about that path; my job was to check out the building, not to kill everyone. I left Hans to deal with the block on his own while Gunter, Jakob, and I rode south to check for Dragon Veins that I could use to create another crossing point.
Once the bridge was made, Gunter and I rode across, killing dudes as we went. Jakob ran behind, healing as necessary. We were about to tackle the boss when a bunch of reinforcement Sky Knights flew in from the south. I took care of one and the others suicided on Jakob. With them done, we were finally able to move onto the boss, a Ninja armed with shuriken. It took a few rounds to hit him, but eventually Jakob and I managed to take him down. After one final heal, I moved forward to cap the point and end the level.
<Athena> Welp, I'm glad that's over with.
<Vom> Not so fast!
<Athena> Huh? Who's there? More Hoshidans? >_<
<Vom> So, you're the leader of these troops? Pathetic. I don't want to be killing little girls.
<Athena> Hey! I'm no little girl. >_< Who are you, anyway?
<Vom> My name is Vom. Can't you read the tags?
<Athena> Oh, yeah, duh.
<Vom> Oh, and I'm here to kill you.
<Athena> That's no fair, the battle is over! I capped!
<Vom> *shrugs* Like I give a crap.
<Brave> *rushes in* I won't allow it!
<Athena> Oh, hey Brave, 'sup?
<Pidove> The rest of us are here too!
<Camo> Oooh, I see some killing up ahead. :3
<Vom> Oh, geez, all the royals are here. -_-;
<Jesi> *appears* Vom, don't worry, Prince Jabber is on the way as well! We can still win this!
<Brave> Oh, geez, this is turning into something much bigger than I wanted.
<Athena> Well, we've assessed the condition of the fort like father wanted, so maybe we can just go back now?
<DoS> That's certainly smarter than sticking around here.
<Brave> Athena, you and Gunter lead the way back. Camo and I hold the rear while we retreat.
<Vom> Not so fast!
<Athena> Huh? Who's there? More Hoshidans? >_<
<Vom> So, you're the leader of these troops? Pathetic. I don't want to be killing little girls.
<Athena> Hey! I'm no little girl. >_< Who are you, anyway?
<Vom> My name is Vom. Can't you read the tags?
<Athena> Oh, yeah, duh.
<Vom> Oh, and I'm here to kill you.
<Athena> That's no fair, the battle is over! I capped!
<Vom> *shrugs* Like I give a crap.
<Brave> *rushes in* I won't allow it!
<Athena> Oh, hey Brave, 'sup?
<Pidove> The rest of us are here too!
<Camo> Oooh, I see some killing up ahead. :3
<Vom> Oh, geez, all the royals are here. -_-;
<Jesi> *appears* Vom, don't worry, Prince Jabber is on the way as well! We can still win this!
<Brave> Oh, geez, this is turning into something much bigger than I wanted.
<Athena> Well, we've assessed the condition of the fort like father wanted, so maybe we can just go back now?
<DoS> That's certainly smarter than sticking around here.
<Brave> Athena, you and Gunter lead the way back. Camo and I hold the rear while we retreat.
Gunter and I raced back across the stone bridge I made then up north to the first wooden bridge that we crossed on our way in. Standing in our path, however, was someone that I... admittedly kinda forgot about it.
<Athena> Oh, um, hey Hans, 'sup?
<Hans> Oh, nm, I'm just going to toss you off the bridge and into the chasm to kill you.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Hans> *pushes Gunter off the bridge, horse and all*
<Gunter> Aaahhhh!!!!
<Athena> Gunter, noooo!
<Hans> Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon. >:3
<Athena> Well &^$# you too!
<Hans> Oh, nm, I'm just going to toss you off the bridge and into the chasm to kill you.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Hans> *pushes Gunter off the bridge, horse and all*
<Gunter> Aaahhhh!!!!
<Athena> Gunter, noooo!
<Hans> Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon. >:3
<Athena> Well &^$# you too!
Rage and sadness poured through my body causing me to start spouting dragon appendages.
<Hans> WTF. o________o;;;;
<Athena> Yeah, I don't get it either, just roll with it, okay?
<Hans> o_____________o;;;;;;
<Athena> So, now that I have you properly terrified... why did you attack the Hoshidans? Why did you kill Gunter?
<Hans> Geez, dragon lady, I'm just following King Keeper's orders. And now, if you don't mind, I'm out. *flees*
<Athena> Yeah, I don't get it either, just roll with it, okay?
<Hans> o_____________o;;;;;;
<Athena> So, now that I have you properly terrified... why did you attack the Hoshidans? Why did you kill Gunter?
<Hans> Geez, dragon lady, I'm just following King Keeper's orders. And now, if you don't mind, I'm out. *flees*
I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I was safe... and then my sword flipped out and I somehow ended up falling into the chasm anyway. PLOT TWIST.
<Athena> Welp, I guess I'm in for a nice long fall now.
<Lilith> Noooo Athena. *jumps in after*
<Athena> Wait, you came too? I kinda forgot about you, tbh. I guess we'll both die now.
<Lilith> Noway, man, I have PLOT DRAGON POWERS.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Lilith> DRAGONS GRANT ME STRENGTH!
<Lilith> Noooo Athena. *jumps in after*
<Athena> Wait, you came too? I kinda forgot about you, tbh. I guess we'll both die now.
<Lilith> Noway, man, I have PLOT DRAGON POWERS.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Lilith> DRAGONS GRANT ME STRENGTH!
And then Lilith turned into a fish dragon and saved me. Somehow.
<Athena> Seriously, wtf is going on with the end of this chapter.
<Lilith> So, um, I guess the secret's out that I'm not exactly a human... this is my true form, a fish dragon thing carrying a giant ball. I used my fish dragon powers to save you from falling, but because of that, I can't stick around in my human form anymore.
<Athena> Well, you look pretty cute at least. Thanks for saving me!
<Lilith> Oh, never mind, I guess we're both falling into the chasm again for no reason.
<Athena> Oh, well, balls, this sucks.
<Lilith> It's okay, I think I can teleport us to the astral plane!
<Athena? Um, cool, I guess?
<Lilith> So, um, I guess the secret's out that I'm not exactly a human... this is my true form, a fish dragon thing carrying a giant ball. I used my fish dragon powers to save you from falling, but because of that, I can't stick around in my human form anymore.
<Athena> Well, you look pretty cute at least. Thanks for saving me!
<Lilith> Oh, never mind, I guess we're both falling into the chasm again for no reason.
<Athena> Oh, well, balls, this sucks.
<Lilith> It's okay, I think I can teleport us to the astral plane!
<Athena? Um, cool, I guess?
And then we were teleported to a parallel world.
<Athena> What is this place?
<Lilith> It's a parallel world, obvs. The First Dragons have granted us the power to enter this dimension.
<Athena> Oh, yeah, should have read the narrative text. Well, um, thanks again. Anything else I need to know?
<Lilith> Well, time flows differently here. Also you can use Dragon Veins to make yourself a cool treehouse. In fact, this whole dimension basically exists as kind of bullshit narrative justification for the whole My Castle mechanic.
<Athena> My Castle?
<Lilith> Oh, don't worry, you'll learn about that in a few chapters. Anyway, I think that saved us, so we should be able to teleport back on top of the bridge now.
<Lilith> It's a parallel world, obvs. The First Dragons have granted us the power to enter this dimension.
<Athena> Oh, yeah, should have read the narrative text. Well, um, thanks again. Anything else I need to know?
<Lilith> Well, time flows differently here. Also you can use Dragon Veins to make yourself a cool treehouse. In fact, this whole dimension basically exists as kind of bullshit narrative justification for the whole My Castle mechanic.
<Athena> My Castle?
<Lilith> Oh, don't worry, you'll learn about that in a few chapters. Anyway, I think that saved us, so we should be able to teleport back on top of the bridge now.
And then we teleported back on top of the bridge. I looked around to see if I could spot Jakob or my siblings, but before I could turn my head...
<???> You're mine, Nohrian scum! *smack*
<Athena> *faints*
Current Team:
Athena - Lv. 5 Nohr Princess
Decisions:
My Castle - The "plot" of this chapter reminded me that we'll have My Castle stuff coming up soon. If you have any suggestions for the name of our castle, layout, etc. feel free to share them!
BB/Athena A Support Y/N? - Starting next chapter, we'll have access to BB. He is not our of chosen PCs but he is an NPC that does and says things throughout the game. There is one plot point later in the game that will change based on whether or not Athena and BB get an A support or not. So, please vote for if you'd like to do that or not. If the vote is yes, I'll have to work to start grinding up their supports since he's not one of our PCs so I may not have much opportunity to use him.
Player Notes:
Another 2 chapters down today because they're so short. This will probably be the last combined chapter, though.
I just... I really can't take the ending of Chapter 3 seriously. So much dumb stuff happens that doesn't make any sense. It's awful. A funny kind of awful I guess, but still awful. If I were writing this as a serious playthrough, I would try and make sense of it... but I'm not, so I just tell it like it is.
Not much else to speak of this early on, honestly. We're mostly funneling as much exp into Athena as we can since we're not using any of the other characters we have now. Gunter was (RIP Gunter) a nice pair-up bot for 1 level, and Jakob kept us in heals. Chapter 2 kind of sucks because you can't pair-up or access items menu yet, but we made the most of it.
We do actually have a couple decisions we can start thinking about already and I've outlined them above. Please give your input!
And, as always, thanks for reading. <3
Chapter 4: SUDDEN PLOT TWIST (not really)
I awoke with a fuzzy head inside a wooden hut. A fire in the middle of the room was cooking a delicious-smelling stew and a familiar face was staring at me from across the flames.
We began the trek to Castle Shirasagi, though I have no idea how far it is; the world map in this game is kind of lacking and confusing. Probably wasn't all too long, though. BB and Rinkah brought me to the throne room where Prince Jabberwock was waiting for me.
Rinkah and BB came along as well and the four of us departed to "the north" where we would presumablykill a bunch of undead wights and defend the Wall save Hinoka and Skyleaf who may or may not be my real sisters from some undefined threat.
Said threat turned out to be really fat, zombie-looking guys.
BB, Rinkah, and I rushed forward to activate the Dragon Veins to let us move forward, but the promoted Prince Jabber took the lead with his extra move and started stealing all our exp. Cursing, I dumped Rinkah and paired up with BB for the mov boost and rushed forward, trying to catch up. We headed north and then west, narrowly rescuing Skyleaf from sure death.
Finally, it was time to use the last Dragon Vein and take out the boss monster and his entourage. As soon as I activated it, the boss himself rushed forward, and I took him out with a lucky EP crit. Thanks to my paired-up speed boost, I was able to demolish the remaining monsters as well during that same EP, quickly grabbing the rout and ending the battle.
We made the trek back down south to the capital. After a nice big meal, the others went their separate ways. Queen Mikoto brought me to my own quarters... the same room that I used to live in when I was still a kid here.
It was a bit early to sleep, so I decided to wander around for a bit, thinking about my siblings. As I neared a lake, I happened to hear a song that would become very, very, very familiar to me in time. The singer was a young woman dressed in white with long blue hair.
<Rinkah> There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know.
<Athena> You're, uh, Rinkah, right? From the... Abs Tribe?
<Rinkah> Flame Tribe. We're in a village there right now, though I plan on taking you to the Hoshidan authorities soon.
<Athena> Revenge for saving your life, huh. Thanks. I suppose I can hope for a swift execution after that attack on the fortress.
<Rinkah> I think you might be surprised... unless, of course, you've seen any of the promotional marketing for this game at all.
<Athena> o_o?
<Rinkah> Come outside with me.
<Athena> Ohhey, it's BB.
<BB> I'm glad to see you unharmed, Princess Athena.
<Athena> Well this is... decidedly peculiar.
<BB> Follow me to Castle Shirasagi; everything will be explained.
<Athena> Sure, wynaut.
<Athena> You're, uh, Rinkah, right? From the... Abs Tribe?
<Rinkah> Flame Tribe. We're in a village there right now, though I plan on taking you to the Hoshidan authorities soon.
<Athena> Revenge for saving your life, huh. Thanks. I suppose I can hope for a swift execution after that attack on the fortress.
<Rinkah> I think you might be surprised... unless, of course, you've seen any of the promotional marketing for this game at all.
<Athena> o_o?
<Rinkah> Come outside with me.
<Athena> Ohhey, it's BB.
<BB> I'm glad to see you unharmed, Princess Athena.
<Athena> Well this is... decidedly peculiar.
<BB> Follow me to Castle Shirasagi; everything will be explained.
<Athena> Sure, wynaut.
We began the trek to Castle Shirasagi, though I have no idea how far it is; the world map in this game is kind of lacking and confusing. Probably wasn't all too long, though. BB and Rinkah brought me to the throne room where Prince Jabberwock was waiting for me.
<Jabber> Ohhey, 'sup BB.
<BB> I brought Athena back for you. :3
<Athena> Oh, so I get the honour of being killed by the prince of Hoshido himself, pretty sweet.
<Mikoto> Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that.
<Athena> ???
<Mikoto> Oh, my sweet child, I've missed you so much. <3 *hugs*
<Athena> My personal boundaries are feeling very violated about now.
<Mikoto> This probably comes as a shock to you, but you're actually my daughter. You were kidnapped by Nohr when you were a small child.
<Jabber> Which makes me your older bro. :3
<Athena> This is... highly peculiar. My father is King Garon...
<Jabber> King Garon didn't father you. He staged a ruse of a "peace conference" in Cheve, slaughtered our father King Sumeragi, and kidnapped you. You don't remember any of this?
<Athena> My memories from my childgood are pretty vague...
<Jabber> And I'm sure your so called "siblings" would never tell you the truth. *rolls eyes*
<Soldier> Lord Jabber, news! The north is under attack!
<Jabber> Ohshi- not the north! Hinoka and Skyleaf are north! We'll have to go help out. Athena, would you accompany me?
<Athena> *shrugs* Sure, wynaut. I'm just happy I'm not dead, tbh.
<BB> I brought Athena back for you. :3
<Athena> Oh, so I get the honour of being killed by the prince of Hoshido himself, pretty sweet.
<Mikoto> Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that.
<Athena> ???
<Mikoto> Oh, my sweet child, I've missed you so much. <3 *hugs*
<Athena> My personal boundaries are feeling very violated about now.
<Mikoto> This probably comes as a shock to you, but you're actually my daughter. You were kidnapped by Nohr when you were a small child.
<Jabber> Which makes me your older bro. :3
<Athena> This is... highly peculiar. My father is King Garon...
<Jabber> King Garon didn't father you. He staged a ruse of a "peace conference" in Cheve, slaughtered our father King Sumeragi, and kidnapped you. You don't remember any of this?
<Athena> My memories from my childgood are pretty vague...
<Jabber> And I'm sure your so called "siblings" would never tell you the truth. *rolls eyes*
<Soldier> Lord Jabber, news! The north is under attack!
<Jabber> Ohshi- not the north! Hinoka and Skyleaf are north! We'll have to go help out. Athena, would you accompany me?
<Athena> *shrugs* Sure, wynaut. I'm just happy I'm not dead, tbh.
Rinkah and BB came along as well and the four of us departed to "the north" where we would presumably
Said threat turned out to be really fat, zombie-looking guys.
BB, Rinkah, and I rushed forward to activate the Dragon Veins to let us move forward, but the promoted Prince Jabber took the lead with his extra move and started stealing all our exp. Cursing, I dumped Rinkah and paired up with BB for the mov boost and rushed forward, trying to catch up. We headed north and then west, narrowly rescuing Skyleaf from sure death.
Finally, it was time to use the last Dragon Vein and take out the boss monster and his entourage. As soon as I activated it, the boss himself rushed forward, and I took him out with a lucky EP crit. Thanks to my paired-up speed boost, I was able to demolish the remaining monsters as well during that same EP, quickly grabbing the rout and ending the battle.
<Skyleaf> Thank you for saving us! <3
<Hinoka> It can't be... Athena?! I'm so happy to see you... after so many years... please let me cry into your tits... *sobs uncontrollably*
<Athena> My personal boundaries are feeling very violated about now.
<Jabber> Hinoka was very attached to you before your kidnapping. She vowed she'd bring you back to us one day.
<Skyleaf> You mean this is Athena? Ohmy. :O
<Athena> So, uh, not to change the subject... but what were those fat zombie things and why were they here?
<Jabber> They're called Faceless. They're artificial beings created by Nohrian Dark Mages and send across the border to terrorize Hoshido.
<Hinoka> Queen Mikoto put a barrier around Hoshido so that regular soldiers can't pass through, but these things can still get through. And they do, obvs.
<Athena> But Nohr wouldn't do such a horrible thing...
<Hinoka> Of course they would, they're nothing but scum! Sometimes the Faceless even turn on the Mages who create them, but Garon doesn't give a $#!&, he just gathers more Mages to make more of them. I'll never forgive him for that, or for taking you. >_<
<Athena> Wow, that's... really crap. I'm sorry. :\
<Hinoka> It can't be... Athena?! I'm so happy to see you... after so many years... please let me cry into your tits... *sobs uncontrollably*
<Athena> My personal boundaries are feeling very violated about now.
<Jabber> Hinoka was very attached to you before your kidnapping. She vowed she'd bring you back to us one day.
<Skyleaf> You mean this is Athena? Ohmy. :O
<Athena> So, uh, not to change the subject... but what were those fat zombie things and why were they here?
<Jabber> They're called Faceless. They're artificial beings created by Nohrian Dark Mages and send across the border to terrorize Hoshido.
<Hinoka> Queen Mikoto put a barrier around Hoshido so that regular soldiers can't pass through, but these things can still get through. And they do, obvs.
<Athena> But Nohr wouldn't do such a horrible thing...
<Hinoka> Of course they would, they're nothing but scum! Sometimes the Faceless even turn on the Mages who create them, but Garon doesn't give a $#!&, he just gathers more Mages to make more of them. I'll never forgive him for that, or for taking you. >_<
<Athena> Wow, that's... really crap. I'm sorry. :\
We made the trek back down south to the capital. After a nice big meal, the others went their separate ways. Queen Mikoto brought me to my own quarters... the same room that I used to live in when I was still a kid here.
<Mikoto> I couldn't bear to change anything after you were taken from us. This room is the same as it was then.
<Athena> Yep, this looks like a little girl's room alright. What's this? Did I throw up on this piece of paper or something?
<Mikoto> Oh, no, that's art you made. See, there's you, there's me, and there's your father.
<Athena> I, uh, I guess I can see it. If I squint. I think my art talent is a bit better now, at least.
<Mikoto> Yes, indeed, you've grown so much. It's wonderful to have you back. <3
<Athena> I guess so...
<Mikoto> :<?
<Athena> Sorry, it's just... I don't remember anything, so this all still feels really weird to me. I grew up with siblings and a father, and now you tell me that that's all wrong and these people are my family, and I just don't know how to process any of this. Everything here feels so strange to me. I'm sorry.
<Mikoto> No, don't apologize, I understand. You will need time to think and process everything, of course. I just hope... I hope that in time, we can be a family again. ^_^ Feel free to wander around the castle grounds, and sleep here whenever you're ready to turn in for the night.
<Athena> Yep, this looks like a little girl's room alright. What's this? Did I throw up on this piece of paper or something?
<Mikoto> Oh, no, that's art you made. See, there's you, there's me, and there's your father.
<Athena> I, uh, I guess I can see it. If I squint. I think my art talent is a bit better now, at least.
<Mikoto> Yes, indeed, you've grown so much. It's wonderful to have you back. <3
<Athena> I guess so...
<Mikoto> :<?
<Athena> Sorry, it's just... I don't remember anything, so this all still feels really weird to me. I grew up with siblings and a father, and now you tell me that that's all wrong and these people are my family, and I just don't know how to process any of this. Everything here feels so strange to me. I'm sorry.
<Mikoto> No, don't apologize, I understand. You will need time to think and process everything, of course. I just hope... I hope that in time, we can be a family again. ^_^ Feel free to wander around the castle grounds, and sleep here whenever you're ready to turn in for the night.
It was a bit early to sleep, so I decided to wander around for a bit, thinking about my siblings. As I neared a lake, I happened to hear a song that would become very, very, very familiar to me in time. The singer was a young woman dressed in white with long blue hair.
<Athena> Nice song, yo.
<PMJ> Thanks. <3 You must be Athena?
<Athena> Yeah, it seems like everyone knows me. Who are you?
<PMJ> I'm PMJ, a former princess of Nohr.
<Athena> o_o?
<PMJ> I'm basically your opposite. After you were kidnapped from Hoshido, they retaliated by kidnapping me from Nohr. The main difference is that I always knew I was a hostage, whereas from what I've heard, you've been kind of mind-blown learning about your past.
<Athena> Yeah, it's been kind of weird. Are, uh, things okay for you here?
<PMJ> Oh, yeah, totes. Everyone's super nice, and Mikoto raised me as if I really were her true daughter.
<Athena> Yeah, she's a sweet woman... I wish I could feel something for her, or for any of my other supposed blood siblings here, but...
<PMJ> Yeah, I get it. I'd probably feel the same way if I went back to Nohr now. Though, tbh, I'd rather stay here anyway, even though my real family is in Nohr. Hoshido is so nice and peaceful but Garon... well, frankly he's a war-mongering asshole.
<Athena> Yeah, that's fair.
<PMJ> So, what are you going to do?
<Athena> *shrugs* %$*& if I know.
<PMJ> Thanks. <3 You must be Athena?
<Athena> Yeah, it seems like everyone knows me. Who are you?
<PMJ> I'm PMJ, a former princess of Nohr.
<Athena> o_o?
<PMJ> I'm basically your opposite. After you were kidnapped from Hoshido, they retaliated by kidnapping me from Nohr. The main difference is that I always knew I was a hostage, whereas from what I've heard, you've been kind of mind-blown learning about your past.
<Athena> Yeah, it's been kind of weird. Are, uh, things okay for you here?
<PMJ> Oh, yeah, totes. Everyone's super nice, and Mikoto raised me as if I really were her true daughter.
<Athena> Yeah, she's a sweet woman... I wish I could feel something for her, or for any of my other supposed blood siblings here, but...
<PMJ> Yeah, I get it. I'd probably feel the same way if I went back to Nohr now. Though, tbh, I'd rather stay here anyway, even though my real family is in Nohr. Hoshido is so nice and peaceful but Garon... well, frankly he's a war-mongering asshole.
<Athena> Yeah, that's fair.
<PMJ> So, what are you going to do?
<Athena> *shrugs* %$*& if I know.
Current Team:
Athena - Lv. 8 Nohr Princess
Decisions:
My Castle - The "plot" of this chapter reminded me that we'll have My Castle stuff coming up soon. If you have any suggestions for the name of our castle, layout, etc. feel free to share them!
BB/Athena A Support Y/N? - Starting this chapter, we'll have access to BB. He is not our of chosen PCs but he is an NPC that does and says things throughout the game. There is one plot point later in the game that will change based on whether or not Athena and BB get an A support or not. So, please vote for if you'd like to do that or not. If the vote is yes, I'll have to work to start grinding up their supports since he's not one of our PCs so I may not have much opportunity to use him.
Player Notes:
After so many years, the apple sauce sensor still makes me laugh. Every single time.
And on that note, we get one step closer to our chose with one more "prologue" level in our belts. This chapter introduces the super sekrit and dangerous trading, village, and enemy range mechanics, yay. :U We also got a Goddess Icon that I'll probably just feed to Athena but I haven't done that yet because I forgot. >_>
Gameplay was super simple. BB was Athena's pair-up bot because he gave her enough Spd to double all of the non-boss Faceless, as well as an extra Mov square so that she could keep up with Jabber and not let him get all the kills. As it stands, we managed to get 3 levels worth of kills in, which wasn't bad. Rinkah mostly just followed us around and pretended to be important.
Tomorrow, prepare yourselves for MORE PLOT, WOO. And do please chime in for castle names and support opinions.
As always, thanks for reading. <3
Personally I prefer the Estrian(?) style, the one with all the water, but if you only have access to the Birthright exclusive ones I would just stick with the default Hoshido style since cherry blossoms are pretty <3
Oh and for names: 1 Turn/No Lilith
Oh and for names: 1 Turn/No Lilith
Nah, you've always got access to all of them.
I like the water version castle myself; it's the one I usually use.Hah. I suppose I should be nice and actually set that up properly then.
When I played through BR the first time I only had access to 2 or 3 castle themes, then again I wasn't able to get the special edition...Nah, you've always got access to all of them.
Another name for the castle could be Challesia as a little nod toward TC.
Chapter 5: Rawr, I'm a dragon! >:3
<Mikoto> Well, you've spent the last few days in the castle thinking, Athena, what are your thoughts?
<Athena> It's pretty nice here, food is great. Thanks for giving me some time to, you know, process all this.
<Mikoto> Of course, it's been my pleasure! I, uh, don't suppose you feel like sitting on this throne for a bit, do you?
<Athena> o_o?
<Mikoto> This throne, it's infused with the power of the First Dragons, giving it the Plot Device power to return those who sit on to their true form and mind. I was thinking that maybe it would help return your lost memories of your childhood here.
<Athena> Thanks, but I think I'm going to pass. I'm sure any memories I may have lost will be returned to me when it's the plot-appropriate time. No need to rush it.
<Yukimura> *enters with Hoshido sibs* Hey, Queenie, it's almost time to start the ceremony!
<Athena> Ceremony?
<Mikoto> There have been rumours flying around about you since you got here, most of them speculating that you're a spy of some kind, so I wanted to make an official announcement about your return. We're going to have a nice public meeting in a wide open square with tonnes of civilians around because it's not like we're at war and have any danger to fear.
<Athena> I have a bad feeling about this...
<Mikoto> In the meantime while we finish preparations, your siblings are going to show you around the city.
<Skyleaf> I hope you like our city, Athena! I'll be happy to show you around. ^_^
<Xerneas> *cough*nohrianscum*cough*
<Athena> It's pretty nice here, food is great. Thanks for giving me some time to, you know, process all this.
<Mikoto> Of course, it's been my pleasure! I, uh, don't suppose you feel like sitting on this throne for a bit, do you?
<Athena> o_o?
<Mikoto> This throne, it's infused with the power of the First Dragons, giving it the Plot Device power to return those who sit on to their true form and mind. I was thinking that maybe it would help return your lost memories of your childhood here.
<Athena> Thanks, but I think I'm going to pass. I'm sure any memories I may have lost will be returned to me when it's the plot-appropriate time. No need to rush it.
<Yukimura> *enters with Hoshido sibs* Hey, Queenie, it's almost time to start the ceremony!
<Athena> Ceremony?
<Mikoto> There have been rumours flying around about you since you got here, most of them speculating that you're a spy of some kind, so I wanted to make an official announcement about your return. We're going to have a nice public meeting in a wide open square with tonnes of civilians around because it's not like we're at war and have any danger to fear.
<Athena> I have a bad feeling about this...
<Mikoto> In the meantime while we finish preparations, your siblings are going to show you around the city.
<Skyleaf> I hope you like our city, Athena! I'll be happy to show you around. ^_^
<Xerneas> *cough*nohrianscum*cough*
Jabber stayed behind to help Mikoto and Yukimura with the assembly, but Hinoka, Skyleaf, Xerneas, and PMJ all had nothing better to do and took me down to the city town to wander about. It was a pretty lively town with a large marketplace and lots of happy people, much different from the dreary fortress in Nohr where I was raised. We even got free potatoes!
<Athena> *munch munch* This is pretty great. :3 The town is so friendly and warm.
<Xerneas> Just don't get too comfortable here, "sister". >:\ Shouldn't you be getting ready to head back to Nohr where scum like you belong?
<PMJ> Dude, that is so hella rude.
<Xerneas> Pfft, like I give a crap what you think; you're just as much Nohrian scum as she is.
<Athena> So, let me get this straight... I'm Nohrian scum because I was raised there, but PMJ is still Nohrian scum even though she was raised in Hoshido, just because she was born there?
<Xerneas> Yep. I don't trust either of you, so there. Hmph. >:/
<Skyleaf> Just ignore him, please... ~_~;;;
<Hinoka> The ceremony will be starting soon anyway, so let's head to the main plaza.
<Xerneas> Just don't get too comfortable here, "sister". >:\ Shouldn't you be getting ready to head back to Nohr where scum like you belong?
<PMJ> Dude, that is so hella rude.
<Xerneas> Pfft, like I give a crap what you think; you're just as much Nohrian scum as she is.
<Athena> So, let me get this straight... I'm Nohrian scum because I was raised there, but PMJ is still Nohrian scum even though she was raised in Hoshido, just because she was born there?
<Xerneas> Yep. I don't trust either of you, so there. Hmph. >:/
<Skyleaf> Just ignore him, please... ~_~;;;
<Hinoka> The ceremony will be starting soon anyway, so let's head to the main plaza.
It wasn't all that far from the marketplace, and people were already milling about, waiting for the announcement to begin. Mikoto looked radiant standing at a statue in the center. As we began to walk towards her, my sword, Ganglari, began emitting a strange red glow. I went to grab it to see what was wrong, but before I could, it flew out of my scabbard and into the crowd, right into the hands of a mysterious, dark-robed man.
With deadly force, he grasped Ganglari in both hands and jammed it into the stone ground of the plaza. The force of the impact sent out of a huge explosion of dark magical energy, knocking back stone and people alike. The force of the blast was so powerful that those directly within its radius where almost instantly killed, and buildings all around the square were demolished.
Debris enchanted by the magical energy was flying through the air, much of it headed directly at me. I raised my arms to try and shield myself, but right before I was here, Queen Mikoto herself jumped into the blast like a secret service agent, taking the brunt of the attack in the back and screaming in pain before collapsing down to the ground.
<Mikoto> Please, Athena, tell me you're okay...
<Athena> Yeah, I'm fine, you... you saved my life!
<Mikoto> Oh, good, I can die in peace then.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Mikoto> x_x;;;
<Athena> Nooooo!!! Mother!!!!!
<Athena> Yeah, I'm fine, you... you saved my life!
<Mikoto> Oh, good, I can die in peace then.
<Athena> Wait, what?
<Mikoto> x_x;;;
<Athena> Nooooo!!! Mother!!!!!
A sobbing Skyleaf came out from behind the wreckage, crying her mother's name. Jabber grabbed his sword and started angrily towards the robed man, now standing by himself, a lone figure in the carnage of the explosion.
However, I hardly noticed them. Overcome by rage, grief, and guilt I... well, I turned into a dragon. Pretty sweet, amirite?
<Xerneas> Holy &$%*, what is that thing. o_o;;;
<Jabber> It's a dragon! :O
<Xerneas> Whoa, really? Screw this &^$*, I'm outta here. >_> *flees*
<Jabber> It's a dragon! :O
<Xerneas> Whoa, really? Screw this &^$*, I'm outta here. >_> *flees*
I hardly paid any attention to their banter, instead charging blindly into battle against strange foes I could hardly see through my rage. BB and Rinkah teamed up to help out, Jabber was desperately trying to take out the strange robed man that caused the catastrophe, and Skyleaf scuttled around with her rod to keep our health up, but I hardly noticed any of them. All I knew was the feel of enemies being torn apart under my claws. When Ryoma failed to take out the leader, I rushed him myself, slamming him to the ground as his body disappeared in purple-coloured smoke.
<PMJ> You are the ocean's grey waves... ♫
<Athena> *ROAR*
<Jabber> PMJ, be careful!
<PMJ> Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach... ♫
<Athena> *dragon claw*
<PMJ> Look, if you want me to stop singing, all you have to do is turn back into a human, k?
<Athena> *turns back into a human* Oh hey, cool, my memories are back!
<PMJ> :O?
<Athena> King Garon, killing King Sumeragi... my real father... and taking me...
<PMJ> Are you okay?
<Athena> Yeah, I'm fine, but... are you guys all okay? I kinda went nuts there for a moment, sorry.
<PMJ> It wasn't your fault. The blood of the Ancient Dragon runs through your veins.
<Athena> But... I thought that was only for the Nohrian royal family...
<Jabber> Nope, we have Ancient Dragon heritage, too. Dawn Dragon represent, yo. I've never actually heard of any of our ancestors actually turning into a dragon, though...
<PMJ> I've heard of it, but never seen it.
<Athena> *looks around* What happened to everyone. The whole area looks... devastated.
<Jabber> That explosion was very powerful. And now you've learned first hand that the Nohrians have no scruples about killing civilians. I suppose that sword of yours was a gift from King Garon?
<Athena> It was. Do you mean...?
<Jabber> He must have orchestrated the whole thing.
<Athena> Why would he... I wish... I'm so sorry this happened. :\
<Xerneas> Yeah, well, you can shove that apology up your ass for how useful it is. This is all your fault. >_<
<Jabber> Hey, Takumi, chill.
<PMJ> You're not helping the situ--
<Xerneas> Oh, stfu scum, you're just as bad as she is.
<Athena> Xerneas...
<Xerneas> Mother is dead, hundreds of innocents are dead, and if you expect me to believe you're innocent in all this, then you're as naive as you are scummy.
<PMJ> Look, I understand if you don't want to trust me, but Athena is your blood.
<Xerneas> No way in hell; she's no sister of mine!
<Athena> I understand that you're upset. I should probably just go...
<Yukimura> I don't think that's what Lady Mikoto would have wanted.
<Athena> >_>?
<Yukimura> Well, you see, Mikoto foresaw her own death. She knew that King Garon would cause trouble, and even speculated that some darker force may be at work. Also, because that doesn't really make much sense, let me divert your attention to the broken statue.
<Athena> Oh, hey, there's a sweet sword in it.
<Jabber> Is that... :O!
<Yukimura> Yes, indeed, it can only be the Divine Sword Yato.
<Athena> Yato? WTF kind of dumb name is that for a divine sword?
<Yukimura> Well, they thought "Yatogami" would be too long for people to say, so they shortened it. But it's related to Jabber's sword Raijinto and Takumi's bow the Fujin Yumi. Like those weapons, it is said that the blade can only be wielded by one wielder, and that he or she would be the key to peace in the world.
<Athena> *ROAR*
<Jabber> PMJ, be careful!
<PMJ> Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach... ♫
<Athena> *dragon claw*
<PMJ> Look, if you want me to stop singing, all you have to do is turn back into a human, k?
<Athena> *turns back into a human* Oh hey, cool, my memories are back!
<PMJ> :O?
<Athena> King Garon, killing King Sumeragi... my real father... and taking me...
<PMJ> Are you okay?
<Athena> Yeah, I'm fine, but... are you guys all okay? I kinda went nuts there for a moment, sorry.
<PMJ> It wasn't your fault. The blood of the Ancient Dragon runs through your veins.
<Athena> But... I thought that was only for the Nohrian royal family...
<Jabber> Nope, we have Ancient Dragon heritage, too. Dawn Dragon represent, yo. I've never actually heard of any of our ancestors actually turning into a dragon, though...
<PMJ> I've heard of it, but never seen it.
<Athena> *looks around* What happened to everyone. The whole area looks... devastated.
<Jabber> That explosion was very powerful. And now you've learned first hand that the Nohrians have no scruples about killing civilians. I suppose that sword of yours was a gift from King Garon?
<Athena> It was. Do you mean...?
<Jabber> He must have orchestrated the whole thing.
<Athena> Why would he... I wish... I'm so sorry this happened. :\
<Xerneas> Yeah, well, you can shove that apology up your ass for how useful it is. This is all your fault. >_<
<Jabber> Hey, Takumi, chill.
<PMJ> You're not helping the situ--
<Xerneas> Oh, stfu scum, you're just as bad as she is.
<Athena> Xerneas...
<Xerneas> Mother is dead, hundreds of innocents are dead, and if you expect me to believe you're innocent in all this, then you're as naive as you are scummy.
<PMJ> Look, I understand if you don't want to trust me, but Athena is your blood.
<Xerneas> No way in hell; she's no sister of mine!
<Athena> I understand that you're upset. I should probably just go...
<Yukimura> I don't think that's what Lady Mikoto would have wanted.
<Athena> >_>?
<Yukimura> Well, you see, Mikoto foresaw her own death. She knew that King Garon would cause trouble, and even speculated that some darker force may be at work. Also, because that doesn't really make much sense, let me divert your attention to the broken statue.
<Athena> Oh, hey, there's a sweet sword in it.
<Jabber> Is that... :O!
<Yukimura> Yes, indeed, it can only be the Divine Sword Yato.
<Athena> Yato? WTF kind of dumb name is that for a divine sword?
<Yukimura> Well, they thought "Yatogami" would be too long for people to say, so they shortened it. But it's related to Jabber's sword Raijinto and Takumi's bow the Fujin Yumi. Like those weapons, it is said that the blade can only be wielded by one wielder, and that he or she would be the key to peace in the world.
Suddenly, the sword flew out of the statue and did a few backflips before landing in my hand.
<Jabber> Welp, I guess that settles that.
<Xerneas> Oh, please. *rolls eyes*
<BB> *rushes in* Uh, guys, there's a crapload of Nohrians headed this way.
<Jabber> So, they assassinate our Queen and then try and take over by force. I don't give a crap if this causes an all-out war, but I'm going to stop them with all my might! Who's with me!?
<Athena> There has to be some way to end this without more bloodshed...
<PMJ> If you didn't want killing, you shouldn't have picked an SRPG game.
<Athena> I guess so, but still... I need to go with Jabber, to see if there's anything I can do...
<PMJ> Before you do that, I have a present for you.
<Athena> This is... a rock?
<PMJ> Not just any rock, it's a Dragonstone. I, uh, found it in a pile over there. *points*
<Athena> o_o;
<PMJ> Anyway, this will help you harness your dragon powers and stuff so you won't lose control again, effectively turning what could have been a cool plot characteristic into a bland gameplay mechanic so that your dragon transformation power will never be mentioned in the game again.
<Athena> Oh, well, thanks, I guess.
<PMJ> You're welcome! Now let's go ride off to battle.
<Xerneas> Oh, please. *rolls eyes*
<BB> *rushes in* Uh, guys, there's a crapload of Nohrians headed this way.
<Jabber> So, they assassinate our Queen and then try and take over by force. I don't give a crap if this causes an all-out war, but I'm going to stop them with all my might! Who's with me!?
<Athena> There has to be some way to end this without more bloodshed...
<PMJ> If you didn't want killing, you shouldn't have picked an SRPG game.
<Athena> I guess so, but still... I need to go with Jabber, to see if there's anything I can do...
<PMJ> Before you do that, I have a present for you.
<Athena> This is... a rock?
<PMJ> Not just any rock, it's a Dragonstone. I, uh, found it in a pile over there. *points*
<Athena> o_o;
<PMJ> Anyway, this will help you harness your dragon powers and stuff so you won't lose control again, effectively turning what could have been a cool plot characteristic into a bland gameplay mechanic so that your dragon transformation power will never be mentioned in the game again.
<Athena> Oh, well, thanks, I guess.
<PMJ> You're welcome! Now let's go ride off to battle.
Current Team:
Athena - Lv. 9 Nohr Princess/Dragon Lady
PMJ - Lv. 2 Songstress
Skyleaf - Lv. 2 Shrine Maiden
Decisions:
My Castle - My Castle stuff coming up soon! If you have any suggestions for the name of our castle, layout, etc. feel free to share them! Current Suggested Names: 1 Turn/No Lilith, Challesia.
BB/Athena A Support Y/N? - Starting this chapter, we'll have access to BB. He is not our of chosen PCs but he is an NPC that does and says things throughout the game. There is one plot point later in the game that will change based on whether or not Athena and BB get an A support or not. So, please vote for if you'd like to do that or not. If the vote is yes, I'll have to work to start grinding up their supports since he's not one of our PCs so I may not have much opportunity to use him. 1 vote for Yes.
Player Notes:
This chapter usually gives me a bit of trouble because it's very formulaic and I'm not really great at playing the same ways because I'm forgetful, so there was kind of a lot of derping. Mostly I just sent DragonThena to the left and had Rinkah/BB paired up to the right, and tried to keep people close to maximize use of Sakura's personal and keep damage low. Got some good singing and rodding experience in, too, which is nice.
I actually got spoiled early on* with Mikoto's death, so it didn't really have much of an impact on me when I played. Of course, it's not like we had a whole lot of time to get attached to her anyway. She mostly existed to die, though without the attachment awarded to other NPC deaths throughout the series, since it's kind of hard to give a crap about a character that you've only known for 1.5 chapters.
* - That said, I actually managed to avoid spoilers for Fates pretty handily, despite getting the game so much later than practically everywhere. The only 2 things I got spoiled on were Mikoto's death and...
... Gunter being a pawn of Anankos, which actually was handled much better as a mystery/plot twist (even if it was pretty heavily foreshadowed), and I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get to figure that out on my own. Oh well.
Next chapter will finally bring us to the fateful DECISION. And then we'll have access to My Castle and all that good stuff. Speaking of which, still looking for opinions on the choices we have so far. There will be a lot more options opening up soon once we have access to DLC and reclassing.
Thanks for reading! <3
Chapter 6: Athena chooses grinding over butts
PMJ, Hinoka, Xerneas, Skyleaf and I rushed out to where the Nohrian army was approaching. In the middle of the field, Jabber and Brave were already confronting each other, though thankfully their weapons remained sheathed, at least for now.
<Brave> Athena! So good to see you unharmed.
<Athena> Yes, I'm fine, but... what are you guys doing here? o_o;
<Brave> We're here to rescue you, obvs. Also we're invading Hoshido because dad said to. Come on, let's kick their royal asses here and now and get this over with.
<Camo> *flies in* Come back to your family, Athena. <3
<Hinoka> She's not your family, she's MY sister! >_<
<Jabber> Yes, Athena, you know you belong with your true family now.
<Brave> Hey, look, sure you're adopted, but we've loved you and raised you your whole life. You're not going to turn your back on us now, are you?
<Jabber> No way, she's staying in Hoshido! Not only are we her real family, but our version of the story allows grinding which makes for more opportunities for goofy characters and other fun things for a playthrough!
<Brave> But we have the better characters! I mean, have you even seen how sexy Niles is? Sure, it's a bit more difficult, but there's still DLC!
<Hoshido> Oh, sure, the Nohrians would encourage Athena to spend money to help her out with something she gets with us for free. *rolls eyes*
<Brave> Just like you would encourage her to give up everyone and everything she's known for her whole life just for the sake of some bullshit grinding opportunities! *rolls eyes* Clearly, Athena is going to side with Nohr.
<Jabber> No way, she's staying with Hoshido!
<Brave> Nohr!
<Jabber> Hoshido!
<Brave> Nohr!
<Athena> Guys, guys, I get it, just give me a moment, okay?
My two families confront each other across the field... Brave and Jabber staring each other down, Camo and Hinoka bearing their teeth at each other, Skyleaf and Pidove getting into the cutest fake fist fight, Xerneas and DoS... mostly just standing around and looking bored. I knew I would have to side with one of them (or pay €20 to download the extra DLC path), and although it was a difficult decision, my choice was clear.
<Athena> Brave... withdraw your troops.
<Brave> Oh, geez, you're picking Hoshido, really? But what about our awesome characters? And Niles's butt? D:
<Athena> It's tempting, I know, but the readers voted for me to play Birthright, so this is just the way it has to be.
<Brave> So what! It's your playthrough, you don't need to listen to those losers! Sure, okay, I may not be technically related to you, but we're still a family. Father will forgive you if you drop this act and come back with us now.
<Athena> You do know that Garon is basically a huge asshole, right? He caused a giant explosion in Hoshido that killed my mom and hundreds of other people. I easily could have been killed here if Mikoto didn't save me, so it's clear he doesn't give a shit about me.
<Brave> Fine, fine, I guess we're enemies now. Come here so I can kill you, k?
<Jabber> No way! That's my hot sister you're talking about!
<Brave> Welp, I guess we're going to battle anyway then. Everyone get ready!
<Athena> *sigh* This is just great.
<Jakob> *runs up* Hey... Athena.... 'sup....
<Athena> Jakob? o_o;
<Jakob> I've been... running... to catch up with you... since you left Nohr...
<Athena> Well, stop running, and have a glass of water or something. Besides, I'm siding with Hoshido, so you basically wasted your time anyway.
<Jakob> Meh, I don't really give a crap about them anyway. I'll fight for whatever side you're on.
<Athena> Alright, cool. Because we've got a battle just starting.
<Jakob> Oh, geez, perfect timing. -_-;;
BB and I paired up and took down a nearby fighter, then PMJ danced us to make our way to the bridge. Hinoka weakened up DoS so we could go in for the kill, and Xerneas and Rinkah went in for the kill on a nearby cav. Jabber ran back to join up with the rest of us, though he was chased by Brave and my other Nohrian "siblings" also moved in closer. Hinoka took out Elise while Xerneas one-shot Camilla with his bow, and Skyleaf ran around healing everyone up. I hoped to take out Brave myself, but he was too strong for me. Instead, I just weakened him and let Jabber take the kill. With Brave KOed, the battle was over, and the Nohrian army retreated. At least for now.
<Athena> Welp, looks like we've got war with Nohr whether we like it or not. This is the hardest choice I've made, but I believe it will eventually lead to peace. After all, I'm the main character, so every choice I make is good, right?
<PMJ> Uh, sure, why not.
<Lilith> Hey guys, it's me, the fish dragon! It's time to introduce you to your My Castle!
<Athena> Who in the whatsit? o_o;
<Lilith> I'm going to bring you to an astral plane that functions as narrative justification for the bullshit social game mechanics in the game! You can buy stuff, chat with each other, mine for resources, visit alternate-reality versions of yourself, play the lottery, pet people's faces, and even feed me delicious food!
<Athena> Oh, that sounds... great?
<Lilith> Look, you've already unlocked a support with Skyleaf, so go talk to her!
<Athena> Um, okay.... hey Skyleaf, how are you?
<Skyleaf> Oh, um, I'm fine I guess.
<Athena> Are you sure, you seem kind of nervous.
<Skyleaf> Yeah, well, I kind of hoped we wouldn't be the first support convo. I mean, I'm very shy and I get nervous talking to people... and now everyone is staring at us, too. ._.;
<Athena> Well, why don't we use our support convos as a way to help you get better about talking to people? That way you won't be as nervous when you start supporting your future husband.
<Skyleaf> Oh, sure, I suppose that could work...
Athena and Skyleaf attained support level C!
<Athena> See? That wasn't too hard now, was it?
<Skyleaf> No, not at all, thank you. ^_^
<Athena> Alright everyone, I guess you can all go wander around and rest up and stuff before the next battle.
<Brave> Athena! So good to see you unharmed.
<Athena> Yes, I'm fine, but... what are you guys doing here? o_o;
<Brave> We're here to rescue you, obvs. Also we're invading Hoshido because dad said to. Come on, let's kick their royal asses here and now and get this over with.
<Camo> *flies in* Come back to your family, Athena. <3
<Hinoka> She's not your family, she's MY sister! >_<
<Jabber> Yes, Athena, you know you belong with your true family now.
<Brave> Hey, look, sure you're adopted, but we've loved you and raised you your whole life. You're not going to turn your back on us now, are you?
<Jabber> No way, she's staying in Hoshido! Not only are we her real family, but our version of the story allows grinding which makes for more opportunities for goofy characters and other fun things for a playthrough!
<Brave> But we have the better characters! I mean, have you even seen how sexy Niles is? Sure, it's a bit more difficult, but there's still DLC!
<Hoshido> Oh, sure, the Nohrians would encourage Athena to spend money to help her out with something she gets with us for free. *rolls eyes*
<Brave> Just like you would encourage her to give up everyone and everything she's known for her whole life just for the sake of some bullshit grinding opportunities! *rolls eyes* Clearly, Athena is going to side with Nohr.
<Jabber> No way, she's staying with Hoshido!
<Brave> Nohr!
<Jabber> Hoshido!
<Brave> Nohr!
<Athena> Guys, guys, I get it, just give me a moment, okay?
My two families confront each other across the field... Brave and Jabber staring each other down, Camo and Hinoka bearing their teeth at each other, Skyleaf and Pidove getting into the cutest fake fist fight, Xerneas and DoS... mostly just standing around and looking bored. I knew I would have to side with one of them (or pay €20 to download the extra DLC path), and although it was a difficult decision, my choice was clear.
<Athena> Brave... withdraw your troops.
<Brave> Oh, geez, you're picking Hoshido, really? But what about our awesome characters? And Niles's butt? D:
<Athena> It's tempting, I know, but the readers voted for me to play Birthright, so this is just the way it has to be.
<Brave> So what! It's your playthrough, you don't need to listen to those losers! Sure, okay, I may not be technically related to you, but we're still a family. Father will forgive you if you drop this act and come back with us now.
<Athena> You do know that Garon is basically a huge asshole, right? He caused a giant explosion in Hoshido that killed my mom and hundreds of other people. I easily could have been killed here if Mikoto didn't save me, so it's clear he doesn't give a shit about me.
<Brave> Fine, fine, I guess we're enemies now. Come here so I can kill you, k?
<Jabber> No way! That's my hot sister you're talking about!
<Brave> Welp, I guess we're going to battle anyway then. Everyone get ready!
<Athena> *sigh* This is just great.
<Jakob> *runs up* Hey... Athena.... 'sup....
<Athena> Jakob? o_o;
<Jakob> I've been... running... to catch up with you... since you left Nohr...
<Athena> Well, stop running, and have a glass of water or something. Besides, I'm siding with Hoshido, so you basically wasted your time anyway.
<Jakob> Meh, I don't really give a crap about them anyway. I'll fight for whatever side you're on.
<Athena> Alright, cool. Because we've got a battle just starting.
<Jakob> Oh, geez, perfect timing. -_-;;
BB and I paired up and took down a nearby fighter, then PMJ danced us to make our way to the bridge. Hinoka weakened up DoS so we could go in for the kill, and Xerneas and Rinkah went in for the kill on a nearby cav. Jabber ran back to join up with the rest of us, though he was chased by Brave and my other Nohrian "siblings" also moved in closer. Hinoka took out Elise while Xerneas one-shot Camilla with his bow, and Skyleaf ran around healing everyone up. I hoped to take out Brave myself, but he was too strong for me. Instead, I just weakened him and let Jabber take the kill. With Brave KOed, the battle was over, and the Nohrian army retreated. At least for now.
<Athena> Welp, looks like we've got war with Nohr whether we like it or not. This is the hardest choice I've made, but I believe it will eventually lead to peace. After all, I'm the main character, so every choice I make is good, right?
<PMJ> Uh, sure, why not.
<Lilith> Hey guys, it's me, the fish dragon! It's time to introduce you to your My Castle!
<Athena> Who in the whatsit? o_o;
<Lilith> I'm going to bring you to an astral plane that functions as narrative justification for the bullshit social game mechanics in the game! You can buy stuff, chat with each other, mine for resources, visit alternate-reality versions of yourself, play the lottery, pet people's faces, and even feed me delicious food!
<Athena> Oh, that sounds... great?
<Lilith> Look, you've already unlocked a support with Skyleaf, so go talk to her!
<Athena> Um, okay.... hey Skyleaf, how are you?
<Skyleaf> Oh, um, I'm fine I guess.
<Athena> Are you sure, you seem kind of nervous.
<Skyleaf> Yeah, well, I kind of hoped we wouldn't be the first support convo. I mean, I'm very shy and I get nervous talking to people... and now everyone is staring at us, too. ._.;
<Athena> Well, why don't we use our support convos as a way to help you get better about talking to people? That way you won't be as nervous when you start supporting your future husband.
<Skyleaf> Oh, sure, I suppose that could work...
Athena and Skyleaf attained support level C!
<Athena> See? That wasn't too hard now, was it?
<Skyleaf> No, not at all, thank you. ^_^
<Athena> Alright everyone, I guess you can all go wander around and rest up and stuff before the next battle.
Current Team:
Athena - Lv. 10 Nohr Princess
PMJ - Lv. 3 Songstress
Skyleaf - Lv. 3 Shrine Maiden
Decisions:
Two separate users posting the same suggestion or a single user with 3 (non-me) Likes is the minimum for any chosen decisions to go through. Unless it's something I really like in which case screw the requirement and I'll do it anyway for lolz.
Reclassing: Everyone's favourite part! Outlined below are the characters we have available and their available reclasses. The later DLC Reclassing section talks more about the DLC reclassing options that we have. Gold grinding levels will be played to earn up funds to buy reclassing items if necessary.
Athena - Outlaw (Heart), DLC classes (DLC)
PMJ - Sky Knight (Heart), DLC classes (DLC)
Skyleaf - Sky Knight (Heart), DLC classes (DLC)
DLC: I have access to a few DLC chapters that unlock some things. A few of them I will not be offering because they kind of piss me off (Beach/Royal maps), but the others I will. Here's a run-down of what's available.
Before Awakening - Random kind of chapter with Chrom, Lissa, and Freddy as NPCs. Reward is one each of Exalt’s Brand (Great Lord reclass item) and Hero’s Brand (Lodestar reclass item).
Boo Camp - Standard EXP grinding chapter with silly narrative justification.
Ghostly Gold - Standard gold grinding chapter with silly narrative justification.
Museum Melee - Everyone is suddenly on a ship participating in a contest to win cool weapons. Reward is basically whatever weapons you luck into getting from chests/drops.
Hidden Truths - As this chapter is a plot chapter that spoils some plot stuff and uses non-in-game characters, I will not be writing this chapter up if you have me play it, however I would be happy to do so if you want to use the reclass reward, which is a Fell Brand (Grandmaster reclass item, unlimited).
Vanguard Dawn - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Vanguard Brand (Vanguard reclass item, unlimited).
Anna on the Run - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is recruiting Anna, but she wasn't voted in, so we won't be using her anyway.
Ballistician Blitz - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Sighting Lens (Ballistician reclass item, unlimited).
Witches' Trial - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Witches Mark (Vanguard reclass item, unlimited).
Chapters can be played multiple times to unlock multiple rewards, but I will only write out a chapter for the level the first time it is played. The only exception is Hidden Truths which will not be written at all, as noted above.
More DLC chapters will become available over the next few weeks (yay Europe), so I will add them here as they become available, and note in the player notes when I do so.
Boo Camp - Standard EXP grinding chapter with silly narrative justification.
Ghostly Gold - Standard gold grinding chapter with silly narrative justification.
Museum Melee - Everyone is suddenly on a ship participating in a contest to win cool weapons. Reward is basically whatever weapons you luck into getting from chests/drops.
Hidden Truths - As this chapter is a plot chapter that spoils some plot stuff and uses non-in-game characters, I will not be writing this chapter up if you have me play it, however I would be happy to do so if you want to use the reclass reward, which is a Fell Brand (Grandmaster reclass item, unlimited).
Vanguard Dawn - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Vanguard Brand (Vanguard reclass item, unlimited).
Anna on the Run - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is recruiting Anna, but she wasn't voted in, so we won't be using her anyway.
Ballistician Blitz - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Sighting Lens (Ballistician reclass item, unlimited).
Witches' Trial - ??? Haven't actually played this one yet, so I dunno. Reward is a Witches Mark (Vanguard reclass item, unlimited).
Chapters can be played multiple times to unlock multiple rewards, but I will only write out a chapter for the level the first time it is played. The only exception is Hidden Truths which will not be written at all, as noted above.
More DLC chapters will become available over the next few weeks (yay Europe), so I will add them here as they become available, and note in the player notes when I do so.
DLC Reclassing: Italics indicate reclass options that are not currently available but can be gained with DLC as written above.
Dread Fighter - 2 available
Dark Flyer - 2 available
Great Lord (females only) - 1 only
Lodestar (males only) - 1 only
Grandmaster (males only) - unlimited
Vanguard (males only) - unlimited
Ballistician (males only) - unlimited
Witch (females only) - unlimited
NOTE: We also get one free of either the Ballistician class OR the Witch class without playing DLC. Please vote for which you'd like!
A+ Supports and Friendship Seals: Now that we have access to supports, we can start thinking about A+ supports for Friendship Seals. (A+ Supports are one-way, so X can get A+ with Y to access Y's class, but Y can still get his own A+ support with Z so Y gets Z's class, etc.)
Most of these are already decided for us based on the characters that were chosen. The bolded options require votes for which character should be chosen. Asterisked (*) characters are those with special classes who pass down their alternate class instead of their base class.
Azura/PMJ - Sakura/Skyleaf
Sakura/Skyleaf - Azura/PMJ*
Saizo/Vom - Ryoma/Jabber
Mozu/ExcalAura - Oboto/PP
Azama/Robin - Kaden/Celever* or Hayato/TGK
Hayato/TGK - Azama/Robin or Kaden/Celever*
Oboto/PP - Mozu/ExcalAura*
Takumi/Xerneas - Ryoma/Jabber
Kagero/Jesi - N/A :<
Kaden/Celever - Hayato/TGK or Azama/Robin
Ryoma/Jabber - Saizo/Vom or Takumi/Xerneas
Athena can't get A+ Supports but she can instead use a Friendship Seal with an A support with any/all female characters, so please suggest which ones should take priority. That way I know whose face to pet, etc. to get the A support sooner.
Player Notes:
And with that we're finally into Birthright proper. Hurray! \o/ The playable part of the level itself is fairly easy. I only have one offensive character at the moment, so I was mostly funneling exp into Athena, while maximizing healing for Skyleaf and doncing for PMJ. You can easy cheese the level by just having Jabber kill Brave on his own, but what's the fun in that? :U After all, there's no point in giving kills to Jabber or Xerneas until the "officially" join us since they don't gain exp until then. And there's no point in ever giving Hinoka exp (or the other characters we have that we didn't choose, for that matter) because we're not even using her.
Lilith welcomes us to our My Castle which opens up a boatload of opportunities for messing with the run, if you're so inclined. All the details are above. tl;dr - suggest reclasses for characters, same-sex friend supports for more reclassing opportunities, and DLC for us to play. Like it says above, at least 2 people will need to post a suggestion (or one person's post with 3 non-Athena Likes) in order for a suggestion to go through (unless I really like, of course :U). This may change in the future depending on how many people actually participate.
With the host of new decisions available, I'd closed off old suggestions. Athena and BB will be A supporting (in fact, they're already at C, though I'll only be writing supports for used characters), and I've gone with Challesia as the name of our castle (mostly because I was too lazy to set up properly for the other).
Now that the game is starting proper, hopefully things will start becoming more interesting. I hope you're all excited! Tomorrow's chapter will give us a few more characters, one of which we're actually using, Vom.
As always, thank you for reading. I'm looking forward to your suggestions!
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